


A Conversation for Leaving

by Setcheti



Series: Conversations [8]
Category: Star Trek: Alternate Original Series (Movies)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Gen, Post-Movie(s)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-01-11
Updated: 2016-01-11
Packaged: 2018-05-13 05:29:12
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,406
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5696761
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Setcheti/pseuds/Setcheti
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Larry was surprised when Billy Kirk came in asking for a favor...but not all that surprised by what he had to say.</p>
            </blockquote>





	A Conversation for Leaving

Larry was just about to close up his store for the night when Billy Kirk walked in. The youngest of John Kirk’s boys, Billy was usually the most lively of the bunch – and, for a wonder in that hard-headed family, the most fair- and open-minded too. Tonight, though, he looked like something was weighing him down. “Hey, Billy,” Larry greeted him. “Somethin’ the matter? You can’t be back for more feed already.”

“Nope. Actually, I need to ask you for a favor.”

All right, that was new: Kirks did not usually ask for favors. Larry frowned, leaning on the counter. “What’s the matter, son? You know I’ll help if I can.”

Billy pulled a fat envelope out of his jacket and handed it to him. “I appreciate that, it’s nothing too big. I just need you to hold this for me until the man I sold the farm to comes in to get it. His name’s Brown, Mike Brown.”

Larry’s eyes widened. “You…”

“Molly and the kids and I are moving to San Francisco,” Billy told him. “We leave tonight. All of the legal stuff is taken care of, that,” he indicated the envelope, “is just the keys to the house and some leftover paperwork. And Josh’s girl Mary is gonna see to the animals until Mike and his family get out there to take over.”

“Okay.” Larry checked the seal on the envelope, feeling the hard bulge of the keys inside, then tucked it out of sight under the counter. “I’ll see that Mr. Brown gets it. He knows to come in and ask?”

“Yeah.” Billy gave him a half-smile. “Appreciate it, Larry, really I do.”

“Not like it’s a big thing, Billy.” He cocked his head. “Your dad know?”

Billy took a deep breath. “No. I haven’t talked to him…in quite a while.”

Larry had somewhat expected that. “This have anything to do with your cousin Jimmy?”

“It’s more about my kids, but yeah, some – and he really should be my brother, not like he was more than a baby when Uncle George’s wife left him at the farm. Dad was the one who always made a point of him just being ‘the one we took in’. He calls Annie Harris that too, on account of her being adopted. I guess it’s just the way he thinks…but it’s always bugged me.” Billy thought for a second, then seemed to come to a decision. “Larry, you’ve known me all my life. You know I’m not one to go off half-cocked, right?” The older man nodded. “Last year, while Jimmy was in the hospital and I couldn’t get anyone to tell me what was going on, someone from Starfleet finally got hold of me. He’s a doctor, his name is McCoy, and…well, he’s a friend of Jimmy’s, they went through the Academy together. He called because Jimmy asked him to, he wanted to warn me that they found out – the hard way, he said – that Jimmy was an empath. And it’s genetic.”

Larry nodded slowly. “Jeremy?” He shook his head at the younger man’s look of surprise. “Son, some of us know a thing or two. I’ve seen it, but I wasn’t sure so I didn’t want to say anything. You had him tested?”

“We did and he is. They’re not sure how sensitive he’s going to be yet because he’s so young, and he’s not quite old enough for formal training. So they told us what to watch for, and they showed Molly and I how to help him if he got overwhelmed.” His jaw set. “Of course, Dad can be pretty overwhelming on a good day…and a few of weeks ago we were over there on a not-so-good day. He started off on something and…well, it escalated, like it almost always does. And when I stepped in to help my son, Dad went off on me. I told him what he was doing, and he just yelled at me for ‘defying’ him and not showing him the proper respect. I just…I just took Jeremy and left. Me getting mad would have hurt him more. It’s bad enough he thinks Grandpa hates him now.”

“He doesn’t.”

“No, he doesn’t, but I can’t expect a four-year-old to understand what it was he felt comin’ out of his grandpa that day – most days I don’t understand it myself, Larry, and there’s been more than once I wondered if it was me he hated.” He made a dismissive, slashing motion with one hand. “That’s it, though, this was it, I’m done. He wouldn’t listen when I went back over there by myself a few days later and tried to explain what was going on – and before you wonder, no I wasn’t stupid enough to mention Jimmy when I did it – and I won’t stick around here and let my son be harmed because his grandpa is as stubborn as an old stump.”

“So you’re movin’ two thousand miles away to a city you’ve never seen before.” Larry nodded. “Makes sense.”

Billy did not quite smile. “It does, actually. They need practical people who can do things out there right now, there’s still a lot of damage that needs to be fixed and they’re short on hands to do it. In fact, the big hospital in San Francisco paid our tickets out just to get hold of Molly, they’re desperate for nurses.”

Larry cocked an eyebrow. “Jimmy’s friend the doctor have anything to do with that?”

“Since the day after I talked to him about it the hospital called Molly to beg and offer? I’m sure he did, but they wouldn’t have called at all if they didn’t need her in the first place.”

“Nope, probably not.” The older man frowned. “And how is Jimmy?”

“Alive.” Billy snorted. “The only thing Dr. McCoy’ll tell me is ‘he’s not dead’ and ‘he’ll be fine, but it may take a while’. I did get to talk to him earlier when I called to let them know we were coming, and he looked like he was all in one piece even though he said he can’t walk all that far right now so he wouldn’t be able to show us around the city when we got there. He was worried about Jeremy, though, and he wanted to be sure we had a good place to stay. He said we could’ve used his apartment, but he thinks it’s in the bay now.”

Larry had to smile. “Well, at least the boy hasn’t lost his sense of humor.”

“No, he hasn’t.” Billy couldn’t help it, he smiled back. “McCoy was giving him hell about it, too – something about people who take their warped sense of humor out on the doctor who keeps saving their life. Jimmy just laughed and reminded him that he himself had said this was his normal level of crazy.”

“Yep, they’re friends all right.” Larry was more relieved than he could say about it, too – not like Jimmy had had many friends around town growing up. “It’ll be good for him to have family nearby, though – a man needs that. Do your brothers…” Billy shook his head, and the older man sighed. “Maybe someday. Keep in touch, Billy.”

“I will. And you know Molly will write Annie all the time, so if you want to know every little detail, just ask her.” Billy offered his hand, but Larry came out from behind the counter and pulled him into a hug instead, which he returned gratefully. “Thanks, Larry.”

“Any time, Billy, any time. Have a safe trip.” Billy left, and the older man followed him to the door and locked it, flipping over the sign, then went back to the counter and finished what he’d been doing before the youngest Kirk boy had come in. Or second youngest, he supposed – Billy’s kids would know Jimmy as their uncle from here on out, he was sure of it. Especially little Jeremy.

In spite of himself, Larry shuddered, remembering another little Kirk boy from twenty-odd years back who, now that he thought about it, had been a lot like Jeremy. That extra sense was genetic, passed down through the family line. And John Kirk, while not a bad man, was often an angry one. So he supposed it really was no wonder that Jimmy’s older brother had run away from his uncle’s farm all those years ago.


End file.
